I am told I have a melancholic personality. On the plus side, the label acknowledges that I think deeply about things. On the flip side, the label points out my ability to think deeply about painful things, which often leads to parking myself under a (metaphorical) raincloud and sitting in a funk. You may know me as an optimistic and encouraging person, so let me say it can be a struggle to maintain that mindset!

Harper's Ferry, WV

How about you? Do you ever find yourself hitting that snooze button ten-too-many times? Living under that metaphorical rain cloud? Entertaining internal narratives about the end of the world?

What do you do to escape that pit? Here's what I seek to do when I am stuck in a less-than-sunny mood:

Get Outside. Sometimes, you simply need to hike or walk around. Mind, body, soul are all tied together. Lifting yourself off the couch can help lift your soul out of its slump.

Pray. I follow Jesus, and I believe that He has the words of life. When I tune out the noise of the world to speak with and listen to God, my mind gets recentered on truth. How much of our discouragement and frustration might be because we're listening to some lie? Discouragement is a form of hopelessness, so escaping the pit requires a restoration of hope. If I am to abound in hope, I run to the throne of God (honesty moment: sometimes it takes several hours of ultimately unhelpful TV binge watching before I finally get to the point of truly doing so).

Make something. It's strange how just making myself a delicious dinner can lift my spirits. Get thyself to a grocer, obtain delightful ingredients, and whip yourself up the best quesadilla known to man.

Go somewhere new. A change of place and a change in pace will result in a change of perspective (I first read this in a Mark Batterson book). A vacation can help you get out of a funk, or perhaps just exploring a nearby small town for the first time.